April Family Newsletter 2026

Kind regards,

Mrs. Murphy

Principal

Oxford Elementary

All DA and OES students and their families are invited to join us for a fun night of Family BINGO!

Come enjoy an evening filled with games, prizes, and lots of laughs. The PTO will provide the BINGO cards, prizes, and all the fun — we just ask that each family bring a prepackaged snack to share and their own drinks.

This is a great chance to connect with other families and enjoy a relaxed night together. We hope to see you there!

📍 Who: DA & OES Students and Families

🎉 What & Where: Family BINGO Night at Oxford Elementary School

🥨 Please Bring: A prepackaged snack to share + your own drinks

The 2025-2026 Oxford Elementary Yearbooks are now on sale! Use this LINK to pre-order your yearbook now by May 1st! Yearbooks will be delivered to students at school during the last 2 weeks of the school year.

Don't worry, the yearbook cover contest will be announced after Spring Break!

Get ready to turn the page on a new adventure! Our Spring Book Fair is just around the corner, and we have a few special ways for you to shop.

📚 Save the Dates

• Early Access: Join us on Friday, April 10th during our PTO Bingo Night! It’s the perfect time to browse between rounds and grab some new favorites.

• The Main Event: The book fair will be officially open all week starting Monday, April 13th.

Loyal means always standing by your friends and family,

supporting them, sticking up for them, and not leaving them

when things get hard. When you're loyal, people know they can count on you to be there for them.

Accountable means taking responsibility for what you do and

doing what you promise you’ll do. Being accountable shows you’re honest and responsible.

Our spring testing season is approaching! This year, we are conducting school-wide M-STEP testing with a focus on creating a supportive and calm environment where every student can feel successful. To ensure our students have the quietest possible atmosphere to focus, we will be adjusting our school-wide schedule on the following dates:

🗓️ Important Testing Dates

• April 14th & 15th: English Language Arts (ELA) M-STEP Test

• April 21st & 23rd: Mathematics M-STEP Test

• 5th Grade Science & Social Studies: Dates for the Science & Social Studies M-STEP will be sent home directly by your child’s 5th-grade teacher.

This April, OES students in grades 3–5 will participate in the M-STEP. While specific dates are coming soon, here is some information to help your child feel confident and prepared.

Why Practice Matters The M-STEP is an online assessment using "technology-enhanced" tools like drag-and-drop and highlighting. Practicing ahead of time ensures students can focus their "brain power" on the actual math and reading problems rather than the computer interface.

💻 How to Help at Home While we are practicing at school, extra "reps" at home significantly reduce test anxiety. You can explore the platform and sample questions together using these links:

• M-STEP Online Tools Training (OTT) – Practice using the actual testing interface.

• MDE Online Practice – Subject-specific prep for ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies.

• M-STEP "Starting Smarter" Website – Family-friendly tips and sample questions.

🌟 Quick Tips for Success

• Stay Positive: Treat this as a chance for them to show what they know.

• Focus on Effort: Remind them the goal is simply to do their best.

• Prioritize Routine: A good night’s sleep and a solid breakfast are the best "test prep."

• On-Time Attendance: Please ensure your child arrives at school on time so they can start their testing session feeling relaxed and prepared.

• Prioritize Sleep: Ensure your child gets a full night’s rest before each testing day.

• Healthy Breakfast: A protein-rich, low-sugar breakfast helps maintain focus and energy levels.

Thank you for partnering in your child’s education. We are so proud of their hard work!

Congratulations to our 5th graders on a successful Capstone Night! This project serves as a final, culminating experience, allowing students to showcase the full breadth of knowledge gained from kindergarten through 5th grade.

Moving beyond traditional academics, students applied their research and critical thinking skills while integrating music, the arts, and language mastery to explore a personal passion or global issue. By presenting in various classrooms, our students demonstrated their ability to communicate effectively and persuade their community—proving they are ready for the next step in their educational journey.

On St. Patrick's Day, our 4th-grade students recently welcomed DTE for an interactive workshop focused on sustainability. This hands-on experience taught students' practical ways to conserve energy and water, while reinforcing fundamental scientific concepts—such as resource management and energy transformation—that will serve as a foundation throughout their future academic journeys. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to see classroom science applied to real-world environmental stewardship.

Congratulations to our third-grade class for successfully completing their Wax Museum projects! This project is a wonderful way to take students from simply reading biographies to truly understanding the lives of influential figures. We were blown away by their research skills, creative presentation style, and confidence. Thank you for sharing your hard work with us!

As part of our preparation for inspections this summer and in the spirit of good ol’ spring cleaning, families and students may start to notice some changes in classrooms. Staff may be adjusting furniture, soft seating, and decorations to align with current safety standards, including maintaining clear ceilings and pathways. You may see fewer hanging decorations, string lights, or some classroom furniture rearranged or removed. These updates support the safety of students, staff, and first responders and help ensure our buildings meet required standards.

Go for the Gold was a hit at Oxford Elementary! In March, Oxford Elementary leveled up their positive behavior! Classes earned Gold Coins for showing exemplary behavior in the hallways, at recess, and in specials.

Weekly Rewards

The class with the most coins each week wins a themed prize basket:

• Outdoor Recess (Playground fun)

• Indoor Recess (Games & activities)

• Fidget/Calming (Focus & peace

• STEM-Inspired (Building & challenges)

Our students competed in a school-wide Measurement & Data Olympics, turning "tough-to-master" math standards into a high-energy competition. By rotating through stations like the Javelin Slide, Long Jump, and Shot Put, students didn't just practice measuring—they applied critical thinking by converting units, calculating averages, and graphing real-time data. This hands-on event successfully bridged the gap between abstract classroom concepts and active, real-world application.

What an incredible day! On Saturday, March 7th, our amazing DA and OES PTO outdid themselves, transforming our school into a spectacular World of Imagination for this year’s Spring Fair.

From floor to ceiling, every corner was a new adventure! We explored: A whimsical Willy Wonka hallway, A mysterious Maleficent themed area, the curious world of Alice in Wonderland, and the magical halls of Harry Potter.

Between the themed spaces, families enjoyed indoor bounce houses, carnival games, and our classic cake walks!

THANK YOU to our PTO and volunteers who spent hours decorating and running the show. You turned our school into a truly magical escape for our students!

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Shannon Shafer for organizing the OCS annual Lego Expo at Oxford Elementary. This event provided a unique platform for our students to engage in STEM activities and proudly present their Lego displays to the community.

An event of this scale wouldn’t be possible without the support of our coaches. Thank you for your time and mentorship in preparing our teams for this successful day of learning and building!

We were thrilled to welcome some of the members of the Oxford High School Wrestling team to OES! The athletes took a break from the mat to talk with our students about the true meaning of sportsmanship. From respecting your opponent to staying humble in victory. Thank you, OHS wrestling team and Coach Barnes, for being such incredible role models!

Please ensure your child comes to school prepared with the following (LABELED) winter items every day. With the unpredictable weather, it is best to have your students be prepared with the following:

• Warm Coat

• Boots

• Hat

• Gloves or Mittens

• Snow Pants

Thank you for helping us make sure every student can make the most of our snowy OES recess!

PBIS SCHOOL STORE! The students look forward to spending their hard-earned Paw Bucks at our school store! We need your help to make these exciting days happen!

Click here to help run our PBIS School Store

March was an absolute whirlwind of fun at OES! Between the energy of the Spring Fair, our PBIS Popcorn celebrations, the high-stakes Math Olympics, and our impressive Capstone projects, our students had an unforgettable month.

None of these milestones would have been possible without our phenomenal volunteers. From our dedicated parents to our hardworking NHS students, your support was the engine behind every event. Whether you were calculating scores, serving snacks, or helping behind the scenes, you made it all happen.

We are so incredibly grateful for your time and your heart. Thank you for making OES such a supportive place to learn!

Join us at our next PTO meeting! Learn about what is happening at DA and OES, share your ideas, and sign up to volunteer for upcoming events. Childcare will be provided. Your voice and support make a difference. We hope to see you there!

Spring Break- No school from March 27th to April 3rd

Early Release- April 9th. Dismissal is at 12:15 PM

Please take some time to read our Student Handbook with your child. It contains important information about school policies, expectations, and resources to help ensure a successful year. Thank you for your support!

As a public body under the Freedom of Information Act, the District has developed procedures and guidelines to implement and assure compliance with FOIA. The District has also created the following written public summary of the specific procedures and guidelines explaining how to submit written requests to the District and how to understand the District’s written responses, deposit requirements, fee calculations, and avenues for challenge and appeal.

More information about submitting FOIA requests can be found here:
https://www.oxfordschools.org/o/ocs/page/foia-procedures

FOIA requests may be submitted online at:
https://oxfordschoolsmi.nextrequest.com/

Are your children safe while online?

Michigan families, especially minors, are becoming inundated with advertisements from alcohol, tobacco, pornography, illegal drugs and gambling marketers through different internet and cell phone inboxes. Thankfully, the State of Michigan offers a free program to stop adult advertisements from reaching e-mails, text messages, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Discord, TikTok, Twitch and Twitter. The Michigan Child Protection Registry, is a free do-not-contact service for Michigan’s families and can be located at www.ProtectMIChild.com.

To sign up only takes seconds. Just go to www.ProtectMIChild.com and keep your family safe.

Marie Murphy
Principal
📧 Marie.Murphy@oxfordschools.org

Katy Horton
Administrative Assistant
📧 Katy.Horton@oxfordschools.org

Bri Overholt
Family School Liaison
📧 Brianna.Overholt@oxfordschools.org

Non-Discrimination Clause: The District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, height, weight, familial status, marital status, military service, veteran status, genetic information, disability, or any other legally protected basis, and prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment and retaliation, in any education program or activity that it operates, including in admission and employment. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, 775 W. Drahner Rd., Oxford, MI 48371, (248) 969-5004.